Highlight News

Honda's Dani Pedrosa took victory at the Portuguese MotoGP with a dominant performance that saw him take the lead on lap 25 and never look back.

The Spaniard stalked fellow countryman Jorge Lorenzo for much of the race before making his move four laps from the end.

"I am very happy for the win, especially as I didn't think I could win at the beginning," said Pedrosa.

"Jorge here is always riding very smooth and very fast, but my bike was working great and with five laps to go I saw I was still there so I tried to make my move. It is amazing to win here, my first victory at this track."

Australia's Casey Stoner finished third, also matching the pace of the lead duo for much of the race, while Andrea Dovizioso beat Valentino Rossi to fourth in a drag to the line, pipping Rossi by just 0.025seconds to make three Hondas in the top four.

The top eight riders all used the harder option front Bridgestone slick tyres, while every rider used the softer rear slick which proved very consistent over race distance despite a track temperature of 36 degrees Celsius.

"Jorge has a great record at Estoril and again rode very strongly today, but ultimately Dani just had a little bit more in the closing stages of the race as he found some more time to set two consecutive fastest race laps to seal his victory," said Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department.

"I'd like to congratulate Dani for his first victory of 2011 and also the Repsol Honda Team for putting their three bikes in the top four here. We've now had three different winners from the first three races this season which is good for the sport and a good indication of how close the field is this season."

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Jorge Lorenzo (Spain) 65 points

2. Dani Pedrosa (Spain) 61

3. Casey Stoner (Aus) 41

V8 CHAMPIONSHIP HEATS UP - LITERALLY

The V8 Supercars meeting at Perth's Barbagallo track made headlines for all the wrong reasons over the weekend, with a huge start-line accident engulfing two cars in a frightening fireball.

At the start of Race 2 on Sunday, Karl Reindler's car stalled on the start grid and was slammed from behind at approximately 150km/h by Steve Owen, sparking a massive fire and stopping the race.

Reindler suffered superficial burns to his hands and face. Owen initially reported no injuries but later complained of abdominal soreness. Both were taken to hospital for precautionary tests.

Data from the accident revealed the impact was a staggering 37G.

Driving a Bridgestone-backed Commodore, Garth Tander's third place in Sunday's final race vaulted him into the top three in the championship standings behind runaway leader Jamie Whincup.